Less than two weeks before the start of the new school year, charter school leaders, parents and students had a message for the Board of Education and Chicago Public Schools officials Wednesday morning.
“Hey hey, he he,” chanted 22-year-old former student and current North Lawndale College Prep behavior specialist Kobey Lofton. “Charter schools are best for me.”
Lofton led the group of charter school supporters at a rally outside Jones College Prep, cheering ahead of a scheduled Board of Education meeting to review the agenda. CPS officials are expected to unveil a five-year plan later this month.
But advocates of publicly funded and privately run charter schools feared all year that their schools would face greater scrutiny under the new leadership of CPS.
In December, the school board announced it would prioritize traditional neighborhood schools, which have long lost out on funding. Many felt that meant that selective enrollment in the district and magnet and charter schools would feature less prominently in CPS’ plans.
The Department of Education renewed contracts with dozens of charter providers in January, but most for shorter terms than they had intended, with charter officials saying they lacked clarity about their future.
Johnson and his board have said they have no intention of closing charter schools, but they have imposed stricter standards on operators to ensure compliance with requirements related to special education, academic achievement, financial stability and other factors.
Proponents of traditional public schools have long argued that the proliferation of charter schools has caused public schools in urban areas to lose funding and enrollment.
Some operators have also come under fire for high dropout rates in the past and for issuing fines to students, although these problems have improved over the years.
About 10 charter schools were represented at the morning rally, including Noble Schools Montessori of Englewood, North Lawndale, Catalyst, Chicago International Charter School and the Illinois Network of Charter Schools.
“This silence is not just an oversight, it is a deliberate attempt to undermine the very schools that have given so much hope and opportunity to thousands across the city,” said Constance Jones, CEO of Noble Schools, at the rally. “It is a political attempt to undermine school choice in Chicago.”
Kobey Lofton, 22, a behavior specialist at North Lawndale College Prep, leads a chant as charter school advocates gather before the Chicago Board of Education’s agenda review meeting at Jones College Prep on Printer’s Row on Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024.
Tawana Watts, who sends two of her children to North Lawndale College Prep, said she was afraid the school would close and programs that her family has benefited from would no longer be available. When Watts’ family had to move unexpectedly and lost their winter clothes, North Lawndale College Prep administration gave her gift cards so she could buy warm coats for her children.
“At the charter schools my daughters attend, there is support available for parents if they need it,” she said.
Lofton has been attending charter schools since fourth grade.
“I feel like I have more opportunities, more chances for opportunities and more experiences in the first four years at (another) school and then at the charter schools because the restrictions are not as extensive,” he said.
Parents and leaders said they want CPS to recognize their voice and include a clear path for charter schools in its strategic plan.
“We demand that charter schools be fully included in the district’s five-year plan,” Jones told the crowd of parents and students. “This committee must stop playing political games with the future of our children.”
